A Week of Activity

I've had quite a bit on the schedule this week so I apologize for not posting sooner.

If I remember correctly, Monday was just a typical day in the office so there's not much to report there, but Tuesday is when things really started to pick up for me.

On Tuesday mid-morning it was time for the annual Relay For Life Jailbreak on the lawn just outside of Starbucks. The goal of the event is for people/passer byers to pay to release me and other campus celebrities from "jail." All of the money raised goes to the American Cancer Society and you participants can set their own personal goal as to how much money they would like to set as their "bail."

Of the six participats I was third behind the stiff competition of Dr. Levester Johnson, VP of Student Affairs, and men's basketball coach, Brad Stevens. Coach Stevens brought in the most at $584.17, in second was Dr. J. with $215.31, while I had $87.33. My inability to speak really put me at a disadvantage in this competition.

Overall $961.22 was raised in an hour and a half so it was a successful event. Here are some pictures...


In the afternoon I made my way over to Irwin Library for their second annual READ Poster Unveiling. You may remember that I was a part of the inaugural READ Poster unveiling last year. I have posted the poster below for visual reference...

I did not have a new poster in this year's set though. I was just on-hand as READ Poster alumni and for public relations.

Thanks to the wonders of technology, I was able to do my first appearance on Wednesday from the office using Blue2TV. Brad Ward in the Office of Admission, the guy who had the idea behind Blue2TV and set it all up, was giving a presentation for IACAC and wanted to show off the web camera.

Of course, I'm not always reliable when it comes to staying in view of the camera so my colleagues in the office put some peanut butter on one of my bones and laid it right in front of the camera so that I would stay in frame. I just laid there licking at it the whole time so their plan worked.

Today, things got started with another Early Registration appearance for the Office of Admission.

Then I got to go to a annual Student Government Association (SGA) reception for their "Apple for You" program which recognizes those with a strong dedication to students and the entire Butler Community.

I was honored to be recognized like that, but at the same time, the reception kind of bummed me out since it was catered with people food.

Later in the day a couple students brought in their roommate's new Golden Retriever puppy named Payton (9 weeks). She was pretty cute!

Payton and I got to play together and I had a lot of fun. When she left I wasn't ready to settle down so I ran around the office terrrorizing my colleagues until I finally passed out. Good times.

Well, I think that's about it for now. Tomorrow I believe is just another day at the office and then it's on to the weekend where I will try and rest up for another exciting schedule of events next week!

Blue II

Red Rooster Romp

Yesterday I got things started by destroying one of the favorite toys that I received for my birthday...the Red Rooster. Perhaps its the warmer weather, pent-up agression, or the desire to onery, but whatever it is (maybe some of all three), I just felt the need to get my morning off on the right paw via a little toy destruction. Perhaps you saw some of it on Blue2TV: http://go.butler.edu/lifeatbutler/?pg=4731

My dad decided to get a little footage of the massacre. In the first video you'll see me began to tear off the rooster's appendages. You'll also notice how proud I am of my accomplishments.

In this next video, you'll see that my dad and Uncle Kyle enjoy mocking me and how I take that out on my kill, or rooster.

After pulvarizing the rooster into a soggy slobbery mess, it was time to head over to the College of Education for a freshman recruiting event. Of course, I always enjoy being invited to a social activity, so I was happy to mix and mingle with the guests. Unfortunately, I just missed out on a piece of Papa John's pizza and a cookie that fell of someone's plate and onto the floor.

Had I been able to get my mouth around that pizza, the event would have gone from good to great. Oh well, maybe next time I'll be so lucky.

We had to leave that event early to head downtown to the Scottish Rite Cathedral for a Rotary Club meeting that Bill Ervin invited me to. Rotary has established a scholarship at Butler for the Student Sociology Association/Butler University Chapter of the John Weidner Foundation for Altruism. So the scholarship recipient was presented at the meeting and I got to be the Butler ambassador on hand for support.

On the way back to campus, I got to enjoy the spring air blowing on my face as dad rolled down the windows for me. Once we got back to campus, I took a long nap to rest back up, then went to work again on my rooster. As you can see in the picture, I did pretty good for a day's work. In fact, I clearly felt satisfied enough to move on to my bone (in mouth).

Today things got going with a welcome party for a new staff member in the alumni office. That was cool because they had bagels from Panera and I got some.

Once I got settled in at the office , I got started again on a little rooster activity. I finally got all appendages off and went to work on the inards and stuffing. By the end of the day today, the rooster is basically just a wet, floppy shell of a stuffed animal. Job well done!

Later in the day I got to go outside for a bit and enjoy the weather and some fun with my best friend Kirby. We had a great time running around the campus mall and doing our usual rough-housing. Good times.

I concluded the day with another new staff member party in the Office of Conferences and Special Events and a trip to the HRC for my dad's workout.

All of that pretty much left me down for the count for the entire evening, both last night and tonight. It's hard being me!

Tomorrow should be another typical day in the office. I'll find another stuff animal to terrorize, try not to get too wet outside from the rain that's supposed to move through, and take a couple of naps. I also get to go to the Dawg Pound end-of-year celebration to help hand out the fan of the year award and other fun stuff.

I thought I would be a good candidate for Dawg Pound Fan of the Year. After all, I did get on the cover of Sports Illustrated wearing my Dawg Pound shirt! That's national Dawg Pound exposure! Unfortunatley, I don't think I qualify given my canine status. Oh well, I'll let you know how it goes.

Blue II

Horizon League Tournament Champs

It's official, the Butler University men's basketball team is not only the regular season Horizon League champions, but they are also the Horizon Leauge Tournament champions as well. A feat they had not repeated since 2001.

There's actually too many accolades to list from this game/season, so just check out The Indianapolis Star's David Woods, and his recap from last night's affair: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080312/SPORTS06/803120471

In addition to Mr. Woods, Star photographer Heather Charles was hard at work last night as well. Her first two shots from last night's game are quite good if I say so myself. I have added the two aforementioned pictures below. If you'd like to see the rest of her great shots, look here: http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=MULTIMEDIA


I know a lot of you were in attendance or watched live on ESPN. Either way, you most assuredly caught a glimpse of me doing my gameday thing. There are unconfirmed reports via text messages on my dad's cell phone that I was on screen during the broadcast as much as four times! Not bad for not even playing in the game.

We heard that during the game last night there was some sort of "Butler commercial" or promo. We are not aware of any such thing, but we didn't get to see it either. A friend and faithful blog reader, Jackie, posted this in the comments section:

Blue, Last night, during the televised game on ESPN, there was a mid-major commercial for Butler. It featured 3 cheerleaders, and some people who work in the cafeteria. At one point, the cheerleaders were crowded around the big cement statue in front of Atherton. The commercial would have been much better if you were in it. Are you planning to do a Butler commercial in the future?

Good question, Jackie. I can't believe they used a concrete stand-in for this so-called "commercial" that was aired last night. I don't know if there's another commercial in the works, but I'll have to get my people in talks to get that worked out. Let's face it, if a Butler commercial doesn't feature the live mascot (in this case: me, with emphasis on "live") then it's not official. Granted, I'm a little biased, but I think that's a fair statement.

Anyway, the game was great. It was bittersweet since it was my last home game this season and the last home game for our beloved seniors(pictured), but it was more sweet than anything given the circumstances, outcome, etc.


While I enjoy all of the pre-game rituatls and activities that I participate in, last night's game was more unique for it's post-game fun. I typically end up on the court after most home games to pose for pictures and mingle with fans, but given the ceremonies (trophy presentations, net cutting, etc.) we got to enjoy a lot of fanfare after the game.

I got to take pictures with the Horizon League Tournament Trophy, pose with Pete Campbell and Drew Streicher (a special shout-out to Drew who, I understand, reads my blog), mingle with the media and even tear up a cardboard box at half court!


Again, thanks to the Horizon Leauge for the box...they left a box on the sidelines that was used for the HL Championship t-shirts, so I helped myself. It was great fun to thrash on the box at center court and have a little crowd watching as well. Good times.

Given the late start time of the game, we finally got home sometime after mid-night and into bed at 1 a.m. Needless to say, I was tired when it was time to head to the office this morning. Today was a standard day at the office. Much sleeping, some playing, and a lot of just hanging out. Remember, you can catch all of this insanely captivating activity on Blue2TV.

The big buzz around the office today, outside of the basketball game, was an e-mail that was sent on Tuesday afternoon to alumni, parents and friends of the university. It's a really cool piece and definitely worth the watch, especially because I am in it. (Would you expect anything less?) To watch it, click here: http://www.pursuant4.com/butler/buselect/email_1.asp

After a full day at the office, I was off on a trip up to Carmel, Ind. for an appointment with the Official Veterinarian of Butler Unviersity and Butler graduate, Dr. Kurt Phillips (pictured) of Woodland Animal Hospital. My mom noticed that my ear has been bothering me this week, so they took me up to see the good doctor. Sure enough, Dr. Phillips diagnosed an ear infection and gave me some meds.


As it turns out, the ear infection was a result of not getting my ears dried out enough after that little bath I took on Sunday. You remember...the one that's on YouTube and has all of that incriminating footage of me in a tub. Thanks, parents.

Whomever said your parents always know what is best for you was lying. My parents give me the hard-sell on why I should take a bath, blah, blah, blah, so I oblige and what do I get for my trouble (besides internet humiliation)? An ear infection!

No "Worlds Greatest Dad/Mom" t-shirts or mugs for them any time in the near future.

Back to ballers...the 29-3 Butler Bulldogs are awaiting their NCAA Tournament assignment which will be handed out this Sunday, a.k.a. "Selection Sunday," and I am eagerly anticipating the Dawg's first matchup in the "Big Dance."

For whatever reason, I've always been under the impression that live mascots were not allowed at NCAA tournament sites. I had my dad check with his peeps at the NCAA, and that might not actually be the case. The verdict is still out, so we'll see what happens. Should I be cleared to go, the game location be relatively close, and the stars align, I might just be hitting the road as well. I'll keep you posted on how that develops. I'm crossing my paws in hopes that it all works out.

Blue II

A New Friend, Sparky the Dragon, HL Tournament, and Bath Time

Well, how did my web cameras (read Blue2TV) affect your productivity on the job this past week? Add that to March Madness and by May you’ll be on the streets looking for work.

In addition to staring on my own lifecasting network this week, I also got to meet a new friend on Thursday. Her name is Reese, as in “Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups,” and she’s a 12-week old Daschund. She belongs to Jason and Betsy Weatherly of Nashville, Tenn.

I don’t think Reese knew what to think of me at first. After all, she’s so small that she was even scared of my toys, because like me, they are all bigger than her too!

When I first saw her, I thought she might be a new toy, but then I realized it was a real dog. I didn’t know they made them so small! I think I was bigger than her before I even had my eyes open as a newborn pup. (See pictures below.)


After a while she warmed up pretty well and we had a great time. While I like being the sole dog at home, it was kind of fun to have playmate around too.

I ended up having too much fun on Thursday night with Reese and staying up way past my bed time, so if you logged on to Blue2TV on Friday morning, you probably just saw me sleeping. I know, I know, that’s nothing new, but I was REALLY sleeping on Friday morning.

Once I woke up, it was time to head over to the West Gym in Hinkle Fieldhouse to setup the Bulldog Club/OBS hospitality area for Saturday’s Horizon League Men’s Basketball Tournament games.

Actually, I don’t do any setting up, I let my dad and his colleagues handle that. I just run around the wide-open space of the West Gym and wear myself out.

On Saturday, I got to sleep-in and then went to the HRC while my dad worked out. After that, it was a quick trip back home and then back to campus for the HL Tournament to watch the Bulldogs take on the UIC Flames for an opportunity to play in the finals on Tuesday.

That’s right, I said UIC Flames. When teams started picking the Earth’s natural elements as mascots, I’m not sure. Just think, instead of an English Bulldog writing this blog right now, maybe it could be the “wind,” “air,” or “water.” Seriously, “flames,” that’s the best you could do? I feel bad for the mascot costume maker that got that work order. No matter what you construct, you can’t win on that deal.

Oh well, I’m going to make fun of it anyway. Just look at this thing, they call “Sparky the Dragon.” It looks like said mascot costume maker scraped the whole flame idea and just went for a cartoonish pre-historic dinosaur that appears to be a reject from the Barney show. I get that a dragon breathes “flames,” but that’s stretching it, ya’ think?



Perhaps it’s just a left over costume from the Jim Henson’s HBO show, Fraggle Rock, sans the crazy hair.


Anyway, back on point, the Bulldogs braved the heat of the Flames to win convincingly by a score of 66-50. (That sentence was so cliché, but that’s what you get when your mascot is the “Flames.” You will always be written about in cliché fashion.)

A.J. Graves did not pet me before this match-up and went for 14 points in the game. It’s interesting…for his entire career, people have pleading for him to pet the dog during the announcement of starting lineups. He finally did on Senior Day and only scored two points. Now before games people are coming up to me and saying, “Don’t let Graves touch you!” Whatever people…just be careful what you wish for.

Up next are the Vikings of Cleveland State for the HL Tournament title which will air live on ESPN, Tuesday, March 11th at 9 p.m. from Hinkle Fieldhouse. The winner will not only take the title, but receive an automatic berth into the men’s NCAA tournament. I already can’t wait to have one last game at home this season.

Also, a special thanks to Joel Barnhill of the Horizon League for ordering promotional shirts to be thrown out during the games. I didn’t get a shirt, but I did get to destroy one of the boxes the shirts came in after the game over at the south Dawg Pound. The box was addressed to Joel so I figured he was the appropriate person to thank.

A congratulations is in order for the Lady Bulldogs of the women’s basketball program on getting their 20th win on the season Saturday as they took down Valparaiso. They will now prepare for their own Horizon League Tournament and a chance for post-season play. Well done!

Today, Sunday, I again got to sleep-in, followed by another trip to the HRC. After that it was more skateboard practice and some sun-bathing on the deck.

I then took a nap during the NASCAR race (because that’s what you do during those things) and after that it was bath time. I don’t dislike baths, but I don’t really get all pumped up for them either. I do enjoy that fresh clean feeling once it’s all over. Here is some video of the event:

I forgot to mention this last week, but when the Bulldogs took on the Wright State Raiders a couple Thursday’s ago, I had the opportunity to meet Indianapolis Colts’ Pro-Bowl center, Jeff Saturday who was in attendance at the game.

That really has no significance, other than Jeff is semi-famous and the fact that I wanted to record the event. Plus, he's a cool dude. End of story.

Finally, it’s spring break week at Butler University and while many members of the student body are somewhere south of the Mason-Dixon line, yours truly is staying put. That’s right, no spring break for me, so be sure to check out Blue2TV all week long to check in on my ever-exciting office life.

The World (wide web) Premier of Blue2TV

Well, I must have been a good boy because I did end up getting to go skateboarding on Sunday evening. As you can see by the video, I haven’t quite got the concept down just yet, but I still love it. Like I always say, skate or die, man!

My dad says I would love skateboarding even more if I would just focus and ride the board in a forward motion. He might be right, but I find it extremely gratifying to put the board in my mouth and run around.

For your viewing pleasure, there are a couple more videos of my skateboarding attempts on my YouTube site at www.youtube.com/butlerblue2.

Speaking of viewing pleasure, the webcam is all set up and ready to go, thus I present to you Blue2TV! That’s right, now you can view me live, online, Monday through Friday, during work hours.

Watch me as I sleep, change positions, sleep, move locations, sleep, play with students/staff, sleep, wander off, come back, and sleep some more. It’s riveting lifecasting, for sure.

You can view the live feed here: http://go.butler.edu/lifeatbutler/?pg=4731

I feel like Matthew McConaughey on “Edtv,” or Jim Carrey on “The Truman Show.”

Although, my dad disabled the microphone on the webcam so “Blue2TV” is a silent broadcast. Perhaps it’s more like MTV’s “The Real World” meets Charlie Chaplin.

If we would turn the sound on it might become a real life version of NBC's "The Office"...only without the lucrative contracts and advertising dollars.

They tell me that they are still working out some of the kinks…perfecting camera angles and set up, etc. Also, I think they may be adding another camera within the week so that I am just that much more likely to be on screen when you log on. Great, can a dog get a little privacy?!

Happy viewing!

Blue II